


Precipice

by miikasaa



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/M, Ice Skating AU, and the adults, the rest of the 104th - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-14
Updated: 2014-07-28
Packaged: 2018-02-04 13:59:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1781587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/miikasaa/pseuds/miikasaa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikasa Ackerman hoped to get through her remaining high school years the same way as always; skating hard and maybe training for the Olympics. She doesn't expect to be partnered with a complete stranger, to be trained by an insufferable champion, or pushed to make a decision she'd been avoiding for years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

“Mikasa Ackerman and Eren Jaeger. Please, show us your audition number.”

The voice came from somewhere in stands of the rink, the man shrouded in darkness due to the strategic lighting. That was the way it had to be, Mikasa figured as she and her brother took their places at opposite ends of the rink. Maybe it’s to give the feeling that they’re alone, or maybe it’s to remind them that every move they make is being scrutinized.

The lights dim into a soft blue, and Eren nods at her just as their track begins. Immediately, Mikasa skates straight to the boy across the rink, and he follows suit. Just as she passes him, he grabs hold of her wrist, pulling her into a set of complicated spins as he twirls around her.  
Effortlessly, she skates around the rink with Eren, his hand on her waist, gripping her wrist or shoulder as he moves with her.

For years the two teenagers had skated together, and by now it was almost second nature to throw her body into intricate postures, or straight into the air, and she knew that Eren would always be there to keep her balanced and catch her.

Eren took hold of her wrist again, his other hand held delicately placed on her waist. They paused for a second; waiting for the music to hit a crescendo, and then Eren whipped her around him once, twice, three times before she jumped. He caught her; her leg hooked around his waist, and her body weight supported by his arm as the music slowly faded.

They were auditioning for one of the best skating academies in the country: Sina Skating Academy. Prospective students could audition as solo or pair skaters, and if they were accepted they were expected to perform both.

It was only their first time auditioning- most students tried out about three times- but Mikasa felt confident enough in her abilities, which was why she convinced Eren to audition as a pair- she needed to make sure he got in.

Eren slowly let her down, taking her hand again as they gave small bows to the panel of judges.

The rink was slowly lit again, and from where the pair stood on the ice, Mikasa could see exactly who was evaluating their audition. Of course, she’d heard of them before this moment, but seeing the four adults behind the table was a different experience altogether.

Erwin Smith was the dean of the school and one of the most decorated ice-skating instructors in the country. Almost everyone he chose, and especially those he trained personally, went on to win countless competitions.

One of his star pupils had been Levi, who’d excelled as a solo skater all over the world. He became only more renown once he took Petra Ral as a partner and eventual wife. He’d recently retired and joined Erwin’s staff after Petra suffered from a nasty collarbone injury, becoming one of the rudest, strictest, and best skate coaches ever seen.

Sitting next to the disdainful man, Mikasa knew, was his wife, who had begun coaching at the school at Erwin’s insistence. She was soft-spoken and kind, but she could be just as strict as Levi. She didn’t earn all of her trophies by being meek.

At the end of the table was Hanji Zoe, a skater who was well know for their outrageous personality on ice. Although they were incredibly dedicated, their routines were known to get quite extravagant. They not only coached the lower level skaters, but also taught advanced chemistry at the school.

The four judges were murmuring to each other, voices just low enough that Mikasa couldn’t catch anything they said.

“Thank you,” Erwin’s booming voice echoed over the rink. “You will receive our decision in a few weeks.”

The duo nodded, bowing again before skating to the exit, removing their skates and exiting the rink, nervous butterflies dancing through their chests.

\--- 

Eren scanned the map in his hands, squinted up at the huge buildings of the campus, and looked back to his map.

“Where’s your room again?” He asked, finally pocketing the map and hooking an arm through his first duffel bag.

Mikasa nodded towards Trost Hall. “Third floor, room 308.”

“Right. And I’m a floor above you.” She nodded again.

The siblings started for the doors of the dormitories, their parents flanking them with the last of their suitcases. Grisha followed Eren up the extra set of stairs to his room while Carla helped the young girl drag everything into her room.

Her roommates hadn’t arrived yet, leaving Mikasa with first choice of bed. She immediately chose the only single, placing her bags on top of the stiff sheets. Wordlessly, she and Carla unpacked a few of her things, but after only a few minutes they sat on the bed together; her things could be unpacked later.

Carla reached over to brush her adopted daughter’s hair back from her shoulder. “Are you going to start tying it up while performing?”

“Probably,” Mikasa shrugged, toying with a few strands. “Don’t want to lose points for appearance. Although I might just cut it.”

“Mikasa.” The young girl turned to look at her the woman, and was shocked to see the beginning of tears in her eyes. Carla pulled her into a tight hug, resting her head on top of Mikasa’s. “I’m going to miss you so much. Study hard, and work hard, but most importantly have fun, okay?”

“I will, Aunt Carla.”

At the sound of a knock on the door, the two women looked up to see Grisha standing in the doorway, a small smile on his face. He hugged her tightly when she met him at the threshold, pressing a kiss to her forehead. They made Mikasa promise to call when she could just as they left for the stairs, heading to Eren’s room for one last goodbye before they left for good.

Mikasa wasn’t able to truly mourn their departure, for not even ten minutes after her parents disappeared down the hall, one of her new roommates arrived.

The girl’s blond hair was pulled into a loose bun, her bright blue eyes looking almost bored as she observed her new room. She dumped her things on the bottom bunk before turning to look at Mikasa. “I’m Annie,” she said after a long moment. “Annie Leonhardt.”

“Mikasa Ackerman.”

Their silence was interrupted by the sound of something slamming into their open door. Both girls looked to the door, where a large duffel bag was sitting innocently on the floor. A second later, a girl with dark brown hair pulled into a messy ponytail barreled into the door after her things.

She hooked an arm through the bag, tossing it into the room. She turned to face her knew roommates, a large grin overtaking much of her face. “Say, did either of you bring snacks you don’t want?”

Annie’s reply was immediate. “No.”

“Oh.” Her face fell for only a second before she recovered, tossing a few of her things onto the top bunk. “Sasha Braus. Senior skater.”

Mikasa introduced herself after Annie did, both girls falling silent again. Sasha didn’t seem to mind though; she talked enough for the both of them and then some. She spoke of what she hoped was being served for dinner, of the friend’s she’d managed to make on her way to the dorm, and so much more.

“Hey speaking of food,” Sasha interrupted her story of her best friend, “dinner starts soon.”

In the dining hall, Mikasa easily located Eren, who was sitting across from a blonde boy. She took her tray of food and slid into the seat next to him. Once he finished his current story, Eren gestured between Mikasa and the boy.

“Armin, this is my sister Mikasa. Mika, this is my new roommate Armin.”

She gave him a small, polite smile. Armin’s gaze wavered from her to Eren, as if he were trying to solve something in his head, but ultimately settled for sticking his hand out for her to take.

“Hi, Mikasa.” Her smile was genuine that time.

Eren quickly finished his dinner, propping his head in his hand. “So, what’re your roommates like?”

Mikasa stirred her stew for a moment, searching for the proper words to describe the two girls. “Annie is quiet, and seems pretty reserved. She also seems kind of cold. Sasha is very energetic, and talks about food a lot.”

Her brother grinned. “Chin up, maybe your conflicting personalities will help you all get along.” Mikasa rolled her eyes, before asking, “Do you have another roommate?”

Armin nodded. “His name’s Connie. He spoke of a girl from his hometown, I think it was Sasha actually, but ran off after a guy named Reiner just before dinner.” He paused for a moment. “What division are you guys in?”

“Senior,” Eren answered proudly, a huge smile lighting his features.

When their acceptance letters arrived in the mail two weeks after their audition, no one had been surprised when Mikasa was accepted to the senior skating division of the school. Her middle school coach had called her a prodigy, and encouraged her parents to put her on the fast track to the Olympics, but Mikasa had refused. She didn’t want to leave her family.

To her relief, Eren had also gotten into the senior division, which meant the two of them would train at a more rigorous schedule than those accepted to the junior skating division. They weren’t guaranteed to be in the same rink or to be partners with each other, but for now, just knowing they were in the same division was enough for Mikasa.

“What about you?” Her brother continued.

Armin smiled. “Senior. Honestly, I’m more concerned with the schooling here, but I’ve been skating for years and definitely don’t mind being coached by the best in the world.” He paused for a second, glancing between the siblings wide a thoughtful stare. “Do you guys have anyone you hope to be your mentor?”

“Dunno,” Eren answered almost before the blonde finished with his question. “The main four are incredible, but there’s a lot of lower staff who are great, too. Maybe Petra.”

Mikasa dropped her gaze to her tray. “Levi.” She murmured, ignoring the look the two boys gave her. “He’s the best of the best, after all.”

“I heard he’s impossible to work with,” Armin said. “Has a terrible attitude and is absolutely brutal with training.”

“He’s the best,” Mikasa repeated.

There was a short lull in the conversation, in which both boys tried to understand exactly why Mikasa wanted Levi as a mentor. For Armin, the answer was simple: she wanted the best training to get to the Olympics and beyond. Eren, she knew, understood that Mikasa never truly seemed interested in glory and gold, and still couldn’t figure out her reasoning.

After a few more minutes of silence, Eren began talking about his own dreams of climbing to the top and taking out all of his competition because he wanted nothing less than to be the best, and Armin laughed good-naturedly, encouraging the brunette at all the right moments.

A procession of three loud chimes echoed through the dining hall, signaling the end of the meal.

Armin led them through the halls of the building and up a set of stairs, following a small crowd of people into a room above the dining hall. Mikasa recognized it from the map of the campus she had studied. It was one of about three rooms of its kind, where all of the students could spend their free time and limited hours between sessions relaxing and hanging out with friends. They all had small kitchens, several chairs and couches, and even a video game console.

They had about an hour until their nighttime session began. Normally, the session after dinner consisted of two hours supervised by coaches and then an hour of work with a mentor, but tonight was different.

Tonight, each skater needed to be paired up, and in order to do that, the coaches had the students skate with each other, and by the end of the session, the administration had their pairs picked out. All partnerships were carefully chosen to ensure the highest chance of placement in competitions, so Mikasa was nervous about not getting paired with Eren. They had been skating together for almost six years, though; they would be fine.

Mikasa sat on one of the couches with Eren and Armin. She immediately recognized Annie standing across the room, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed and two very tall boys standing at her side. She nodded at Mikasa when their eyes met.

“Mikasa!” Before the girl could blink, Sasha was lying across her lap, with her feet in Eren’s. “How was your first meal here? I’ve been here for a year and the food has always been good, and I was wondering if you wouldn’t mind sharing with me, since the portions aren’t exactly large, an- hey!”

Sasha stared up at Mikasa from her new position on the floor with wide eyes after the raven-haired girl pushed her away.

“Sorry.” Mikasa replied evenly, raising an eyebrow when a hand reached down towards Sasha, gripping her shoulder and helping the girl to stand. Mikasa looked up to see a boy with a cleanly buzzed head, grimacing at Sasha as they stood.

The boy led Sasha around the coffee table, sitting her on the other couch alongside him and one other boy.

Eren nudged her side with his elbow, jerking his chin towards the first boy. “That’s Connie, my other roommate.”

Connie grinned at her, hooking a thumb towards Sasha. “Sorry about her, she’s a little… eccentric.”

“I know,” Mikasa answered, but her voice was lacking the venom it had before. “She’s my roommate.”

“Oh! Then you’re the one she was talking about at dinner. Mikasa, right?” She nodded.

Eren leaned forward eagerly, asking several questions of anyone who was nearby and begging to know what they hoped to get out of the school and staff. He was already sizing up the competition. Mikasa sat back against the couch, choosing to observe instead of participate in the budding conversation between Eren, Armin, Connie, Sasha, and the other boy on the couch.

Everyone in the room, along with the other students at the academy, was Mikasa’s competition. If she wanted to climb the ranks and eventually make it to the Olympics, she would have to beat everyone here.

It was one reason why she hoped to get Levi as a mentor. He was known to be one of the worst people to work with in the ice skating world, but he was also one of the best skaters ever seen. If getting yelled at and belittled for a few years could further her career, she would take it.

That is, if she decided she wanted to even go to the Olympics.

Maybe getting him as a mentor for Eren would be better.

“It’s close to six, we should get going,” Armin’s voice pulled her from her thoughts. He was checking the time on his phone before pocketing it and standing. The others followed suit.

Mikasa began to walk after Eren and Armin, but stopped when she heard an awkward gasp come from behind her. She turned to see a boy blushing like mad, his gaze flickering from her to the couch every other second. The freckled boy standing next to him, Marco, if she remembered what Armin said earlier correctly, clapped his hand on the other’s shoulder encouragingly.

She raised an eyebrow, noticing from the corner of her eye that Eren and Armin had hung back.

“S-Sorry,” he murmured. “It’s just that- ah, you have really… pretty, uh, hair.”

“Thanks.” She replied flatly, turning away, and catching his expression just as it fell. Eren laughed loudly, calling something back to the boy that she didn’t catch. Great, she thought as the other boy cursed at her brother, he’s already got a rival.

Mikasa walked with Sasha and Annie back to their room, where the three girls quickly changed into simple skating clothes, grabbed their gym bags, and headed back outside for the rinks.

The school had five ice skating rinks, each with two different sets of ice to give the skaters more room to practice, 100 students to each set of ice. There was a sixth rink on the other side of campus, but it was much smaller than the others, and they weren’t allowed to skate in there unless given permission from Dean Smith, and accompanied by their mentor.

The two boys Mikasa had seen Annie with earlier caught up to them a couple moments later. It looked like they were talking to the small blonde girl, but even thought Annie didn’t respond, they didn’t get discouraged.

“Reiner and Bertholdt.” Annie murmured after observing the confused look on the other girl’s face, pointing to each in turn. Mikasa nodded at them, Sasha talking nonsense into her other ear.

Once inside the rink, the group went their separate ways, and Mikasa found Eren sitting near Connie and Armin just outside of the ice. She quickly put her own skates on, and the senior skaters stretched for a short while until they all made their way onto the ice when Dean Smith voiced the command to do so.

He, Levi, and Petra were standing at the opposite side of the rink, just behind the side panels. The Dean explained what they were to do; they were to skate for only three minutes with the others, doing a few tricks and spins with each other before moving along. They weren’t allowed to plan beforehand, and once everyone had skated with each other, the three coaches would discuss and pair the skaters.

“Any questions?” Erwin asked. He was answered with the resounding silence of the room, save for the loud humming of the air conditioning. “Good. Then let’s begin.”

A low instrumental melody began to play from the speakers, but it was nearly drowned out by the sound of a hundred pairs of skates taking off at once.

Mikasa turned on her heel to find Eren waiting for her, a grin on his face. She smiled back, taking his outstretched hand, and the two fell into a familiar, yet rigorous, few minutes of skating.

Once Petra called out the order to switch, the young girl turned again, grasping on to Reiner’s hand. It was much different skating with the tall blonde, for one he took her waist with little warning and tossed her much higher than Eren had ever been able to, but it was a good kind of different. If she weren’t so set on Eren as a partner, Reiner wouldn’t be a bad one.

Bertholdt came next, and Mikasa couldn’t help but notice that he seemed very nervous as he skated. He constantly asked if she was okay if he felt he spun her too quickly, but he was a terrific skater nonetheless. He tossed her almost as high as Reiner, and managed to hold her body above his head until the end of that time slot. If Bertholdt gained enough confidence, he could be ideal competition.

When she skated with Armin, Mikasa wondered how exactly the blonde had made his way onto the senior level. He wasn’t terrible by any means, his pace was slower than those she’d skated with already, his moves well calculated and precise, but they lacked a certain flair that was necessary for gaining points in a competition. Maybe that was just for tonight. He was good, better than the average skater; he wouldn’t be enrolled in the academy if he weren’t.

About halfway through the session, Annie caught her hand as she made her way to another partner, giving her a suggestive glance. Mikasa nodded, and the two began skating together, leaving two other boys to pair up as well. They passed the stands, where Dean Smith and Petra were stifling their laughter, but Levi looked unamused. Mikasa held the shorter girl in an extravagant dip, and Petra clapped lightly as they skated away to find new partners, the black haired girl stifling a smile. Maybe her roommates wouldn’t be so bad after all.

After a few more switches, she ended up with the boy who’d complimented her hair in the lounge. She didn’t say much as they skated together, only told him everything was fine when he started apologizing for what he’d said earlier. Mikasa told him not to agonize over it, and he grinned in relief

Mikasa noticed a stark difference in the way the boy skated with her. Where Eren was more laid back, the boy was extremely precise in the way he grasped her wrist or waist, in the way he spun her or dipped her back towards the ice. In an act to test just how different his style was from Eren’s, Mikasa held his hand above her head and spun for all it was worth. He picked up on her request in an instant, and maybe it was the height advantage he had over her brother, but she felt steadier under his hand, like her twirls were tighter, more precise, and better.

She would never admit that out loud, though. The boy was good, but in her opinion, Eren was even better.

It continued that way, students turning to find a new partner every time Petra ordered them to, until the allotted time was up. The students all made their way back to the small hallway that led to the ice, sitting up against the wall or on the benches at the tables.

Sitting between Eren and Ymir against the wall, Mikasa tugged off her skates, carefully wrapping them and placing them back in her gym bag. As she stretched, she checked the time on her phone, idly noticing that the partnering activity had gone almost halfway through the third hour of allotted time on the ice.

A few minutes after she finished stretching and had taken her water bottle from her bag, Eren nudged her shoulder, smiling brightly even as Mikasa scowled.

“What did you think?” He asked her, using his head to gesture to the skaters in the hall.

Mikasa thought for only a moment before saying, “They’re all amazing.” And they were. Only the best got into the academy, and just three minutes with each of the boys there was enough to clearly show their talent. She could only wonder what the girls were like.

Eren nodded. “Yeah, they are. Think we’ll get paired together?”

“We better,” Mikasa grumbled, focusing her attention on her bottle, but she looked up when he scoffed. “What?”

His gaze had hardened, and he was shaking his head, a bitter smile on his features. “Would it really be so horrible if we weren’t partnered together? We’ve been skating together since the sixth grade. These are some of the best coaches in the world, and if they say we’re better with other people, then it might be true.”

“But I want to skate with you,” Mikasa insisted.

“I want to skate with you too,” Eren said, yanking on a pair of sweatpants with much more force than necessary. “But we don’t have to be limited to each other. Dammit Mikasa, there’s got to be someone here who’s better than me. And with their talent and you being a prodigy, you’ll probably get paired together.”

Mikasa sighed, already weary from arguing with him again. “I’m not a prodigy.”

“Like hell you’re not. Quit holding back your abilities just for me.”

Her mouth fell open at the accusation, okay yes one of the reasons she didn’t accept her coach’s offer to train for the Olympics was because Eren wouldn’t be there, but she wasn’t holding back all of her abilities just for him.

She wanted to snap back at him, tell him he was being outrageous and that he was wrong, but a small voice in the back of her head prevented it. She had rejected a scholarship at the start of the eighth grade…

Mikasa turned her gaze back to her water bottle, Eren turned to start a new conversation with Connie.

Dean Smith appeared in the doorway connecting the hall to the rink a few moments later, Petra and Levi flanking him on either side. He only had to clear his throat before the entire hall was silent, eyes glued to his imposing figure and breath bated as they waited to learn who their partners were.

“Connie Springer and Sasha Braus.” Erwin called out, needing no introduction as he ran a finger down his clipboard. “Bertholdt Fubar and Ymir.”

“Oh come on I wanted to be paired with Christa!”

The Dean began to walk through the hall as he called out the pairs. Most matches resulted in no reaction from the two members, but occasionally one or two people would cheer or complain, much like Ymir had at the beginning.

“Armin Arlert and Mina Carolina. Reiner Braun and Christa Lenz.” That earned an indignant cry from the freckled girl. As he walked, Erwin handed one member of the pair a piece of paper that told them who their coach and individual mentors were and which rink they would be practicing at. “Marco Bodt and Hitch. Eren Jaeger and Annie Leonhardt.”

Mikasa felt her heart sink. Despite her previous argument with Eren, she had still hoped to be paired with him. The duo knew each other by heart- who could be a better match for her than someone she’d been skating with for almost six years?

Eren seemed pleased enough with his new partner, though the small blonde didn’t give him much of a reaction as she scanned the paper from the Dean.

“Jean Kirschtein and Mikasa Ackerman.”

“Who?” Mikasa asked quietly before she could catch her tongue. She took the piece of paper that the Dean held in front of her face, but ignored what it said to look for her new partner instead.

Dean Smith was still calling out partnerships, but now that she’d been assigned (and ripped away from Eren), she didn’t listen to any other pairings.

Connie leaned over her brother, pointing a finger back towards the benches. “Over there, sitting next to Marco.” Mikasa narrowed her eyes, there were a few guys sitting at that table.

Armin offered quick clarification, “The one who told you your hair was pretty in the lounge.”

Mikasa was then able to put a face to the name. The boy who’d stuttered over the compliment, the one Eren yelled at in the lounge, the one was so precise and effective as he skated and, she’d admitted to herself, might be better at the same level as Eren. When she finally met his gaze across the room, he was blushing faintly before rising from his seat to make his way to her.

Eren groaned quietly next to her. “Ah come on, anyone but horse face.”

“You were the one who didn’t want to be paired together,” She hissed back at him.

“I never said I didn’t want to be paired together,” Eren argued. “I said it wouldn’t hurt to be with new people. I just didn’t think you’d end up with him.”

Mikasa dropped whatever she was about to say next because at that moment, Jean Kirschtein had made his way through the rest of the skaters and was crouching in front of her, rubbing his neck awkwardly.

“H-Hey.” Jean held out his hand and Mikasa briefly wondered if she could complain and get Eren as a partner, or if it wasn’t too late to quit the school entirely, before she took his hand with her own. “Looks like we’re partners.”


	2. Chapter 2

The sun hadn’t begun to rise by the time Mikasa reached the rink closest to her dorm room, but the dark and chill of the morning breeze did nothing to deter her from pulling open the door. She hiked her gym bag further up her shoulder, unzipping her hoodie, pausing in her movements when she heard something echoing through the facility.

Frowning, Mikasa walked straight to the ice, dropping her bag in the doorway. She placed her hands on the fence surrounding the ice, immediately recognizing who’d been making the noise as he skated.

“Ackerman.” His drawl was different than she’d expected, lower and a lot more bored-sounding. Levi skated to a stop in front of her, appraising her silently. “What are you doing here?”

“Free skate,” Mikasa replied easily.

Levi didn’t look convinced. “Mandatory morning practices begin at seven, and optional free skate begins at six. It’s barely five-thirty.”

“I thought I’d get a head start.” She shrugged, eyeing her discarded bag. “I don’t like to skate when it’s overcrowded.”

To her surprise, Levi snorted. “Better get used to it. You’ll have sessions in here and other rinks with far too many other people.”

Mikasa pursed her lips, looking out over the ice. It looked like Levi had been the only person here since the ice was smoothed over after the partnering last night. She imagined it filled with dozens of other people and their partners, all avoiding each other while trying to perfect their new moves; the coaches, standing before the bleachers or right on the ice, calling out directions and getting in the way. She frowned.

“How does that help anyone get better?”

Levi shrugged. “There’s a lot of kids here trying to get to Championships and the Olympics, and this is the best we can do. It’s not so much about the space, but the coaching and how much effort the student is willing to put into it.” He paused, crossing his arms over his chest. “Besides, you won’t spend every session in a rink. Sometimes you’ll be running or training outside.”

Mikasa didn’t say anything. She still wasn’t sure how far she wished to go with her skating career. Ever since she had started, she’d figured she would go as long as Eren did, follow him to Nationals or wherever he went, and then quit once he did. But now that they were no longer partners and her efforts would affect someone she barely knew, Mikasa wondered if working herself to the bone was worth it. If only there was a way to switch partners.

“There isn’t,” Levi scowled, making her start and look back to him. She hadn’t realized she spoke aloud. “Unless there’s a legitimate reason why, and not just personal preference, you stay partnered with who we choose. If you don’t feel safe with him, or there’s a history of violence, you can bring it up with Erwin.”

“Fine.” Mikasa grumbled. So Jean would stay as her partner. Maybe he didn’t care too much about skating. “I didn’t come here for a lecture, Levi, so if you’ll excuse me.” She reached for her bag, but stopped when he spoke again.

“Hit the gym.”

Mikasa straightened herself, staring down at him in confusion. “Excuse me?”

Levi lifted his chin. “You heard me. There’s an Invitational at Rose Academy in two months, and you need to be in better shape if you want to medal. There’s a gym by the rink on the other side of campus. Spend your free time and all sessions in there, and then you’ll be ready.”

“I am ready.”

“No.” Levi walked off the ice, quickly removing his skates. “One month in there, Ackerman, and you’ll be ready to train. He wrapped his skates before stuffing them into the bag Mikasa hadn’t noticed before.

She angrily re-zipped her hoodie, stuffing her hands into her pockets. “Why should I even listen to you?”

He eyed her warily. “I’m your mentor and your coach. If I say I’m not training you until you put on more muscle, you won’t be trained until then.”

“You’re my mentor?” She asked, brows furrowing. She tried to remember seeing his name on the paper where Jean’s name was written next to her own, but couldn’t recall seeing Levi’s before crumpling- that’s right. She’d been so disappointed about not getting Eren as a partner that she’d forgotten to look for her mentor.

“Look, Mikasa.” Levi hoisted his bag onto his shoulder. “When I choose to mentor a student, it’s a good fucking year. And I’ve never coached a pair before, but when Erwin told me about your prodigal skills-”

“I’m not a prodigy.”

He glared at her, continuing, “I decided to give you a shot. But if you’re not going to take this seriously and work until you feel like fucking collapsing, I’ll give you away to some other coach. I don’t train people who aren’t dedicated.”

Mikasa paused for a moment, staring at her bag on the floor. She’d wanted Levi as a mentor because he was the best and he could get her the farthest out of any other coach. She just hadn’t decided how far she wanted to go yet. “Does this mean you’re taking me to the Olympics?”

“Only if you work for it.” Levi turned from her, grabbing his jacket from the bleachers.

“Wait.” He paused. “What about Jean?”

Levi shrugged. “I’ll train him with some basics and mechanics, get him ready for lifts. He’ll be fine when you get back. Work hard, Ackerman.” With that, he stalked through the hallway, pushing through the door and into the early morning light.

Mikasa groaned, grabbing her bag and following after her mentor. A few people had begun to wander into the rink, but not as many as would be there for the mandatory session later. Outside the rink, she could see Levi’s retreating back as he headed towards the teacher’s dorms. He said the gym was by the small rink on the other side of campus, but a quick check of her map didn’t reveal which building it was. She would have to check the ones near it.

She stuffed her hands into her pockets as she began her walk, head down to try and fend off the chill. It wasn’t cool out yet, but the mornings weren’t as warm as they had been during the high time of summer.

Mikasa pulled her scarf up over her nose, eyeing the buildings as she walked across campus. She passed the school buildings, the off-limits rink finally coming into view. To her surprise, there weren’t a lot of buildings around the rink. Mikasa opened the doors to a few of the facilities, finally finding the gym on her fourth try.

She dropped her gym bag by the door, letting her hoodie fall on top of it. Levi told her to spend her time in here for a month until he would train her, and told her she could get to the Olympics with his guidance. Mikasa wandered towards a pull-up bar, weighing her options. She could try to sneak into the rink and spend her time there, or slack off and go back in a month, or she could lift and train her body, and maybe get to the Olympics.

She wouldn’t make her decision yet. No, Mikasa would follow Levi’s advice and become stronger, but she wouldn’t reveal that she still didn’t have a plan.

\--- 

Armin jumped slightly when Mikasa’s tray dropped onto the surface of the table, followed by her elbow as she rested her chin on her fist. Eren turned to face her, ignoring his own breakfast for the moment.

“Where were you this morning? We’ve all been assigned to the same rink, and I figured you’d be one of the first people in there.”

Mikasa sighed, poking slowly at her eggs. Her muscles were already starting to feel sore. Levi had been right. She wasn’t as ready as she previously thought. “In the gym,” she answered around a yawn.

“The gym?” Armin asked, glancing between Eren and Mikasa. “I thought it wasn’t in use. Most people just stay in the rinks or do exercises outside.”

“That’s what I thought,” Mikasa said bitterly. “But Levi told me he isn’t training me until I put on a month’s worth of muscle.”

Eren looked confused. “Why would Levi care?”

“He’s my mentor.”

The two boys were quiet for a moment; exchanging a glance that Mikasa missed the meaning behind. She stuffed a bite of eggs into her mouth.

Armin was the first to speak again. “That’s great Mikasa. He’s who you wanted right?”

Mikasa frowned slightly. “Yeah.” She chose not to mention that he was pushing her to work her ass off to get to the Olympics or he would get her a different coach.

“Are you sure you should stick with him, though?” Eren asked, looking back at her. “I mean, you’re here to skate, you should be practicing on the ice with your partner, not isolated in a gym for a month.”

She shrugged, placing her fork back onto her tray. “He said a month in there would get me into the best shape for the Invitational and other competitions.”

Eren paused, staring at her as if she’d grown a second head. “You’re going to compete at Nationals?”

“Probably.” Mikasa shrugged again.

“Why? You’ve never shown much interest in it before.”

“Because you’ll be there,” she answered automatically, but for once the answer didn’t feel right. Eren looked ready to tell her off again like he had the night before, tell her not to dedicate her life to him or follow him, but a new arrival at their table stopped him.

Jean sat down awkwardly next to Armin, glaring back at Eren for a second. “Hey, Mikasa. Are you okay? Levi said you’re not going to be coming to any sessions for a month.”

“I’m fine.” She signed, looking up at him. His cheeks were tinted red, and he looked almost embarrassed as he sat before her. “Levi just gave me a sort of assignment before the invitational.”

“Oh.” Jean looked disappointed. “Well, I’ll, uh, miss you.”

Mikasa raised an eyebrow, forking at her eggs again. Eren snorted next to her, but a quick shake of the head from Armin kept him from saying something to Jean. She looked down at her food. “I’ll be back soon. And then we’ll be training for the Invitational.”

“Invitational?”

“Mikasa,” Armin intercepted her answer. “That announcement hasn’t been made yet. I think Dean Smith is going to make it at dinner tonight.”

“Oh.” She didn’t say anything else as Jean looked between them, features contorted in confusion.

After a few more silent, awkward minutes, he stood up, rubbing the back of his neck. “I guess, uh, I guess I’ll see you in a month.”

Mikasa nodded, noticing that as he left, Jean looked back to her a few times. Armin chuckled slowly. “What?” She and Eren asked.

“I think Jean likes you.” Armin shrugged.

“They haven’t even known each other for a day, Armin,” Eren answered, rolling his eyes. The bell for the end of the period sounded, cutting off whatever he said next. Eren grabbed his tray, falling in step with Annie as she passed, but she didn’t seem to be paying any attention to him. Mikasa wondered briefly how that partnership was going to go.

“Are you going to follow Levi’s advice and work out in the gym for the month?”

Mikasa looked back at Armin, who was still sitting across from her, staring over at her with a calculating look in his eyes. She sighed. “Yes. Honestly, Armin, I don’t know exactly what I want from Levi’s coaching-”

He interrupted her, smiling slightly. “Maybe training alone and participating in the Invitational will help you make up your mind.”

“Yeah,” Mikasa murmured, following him to the trash to dispose of their leftover food. “Maybe.”

She pulled her class schedule from her pocket, following Armin into the halls leading to the classrooms. He pointed out a few rooms in the main building, like where the bathrooms were, the Dean’s office, the auditorium, and such. He pointed her in the direction of her first class, to the math building across the street, and bade her goodbye, saying they would see each other again at lunch.

Her classes that day passed quickly, most filled with introductions and syllabi and course descriptions like they were at a regular high school and not one of the top skating academies. Eren was in her afternoon classes, Armin was in a few, she saw Jean in her Chemistry class before lunch, and throughout the day she saw Annie and Sasha, the former flanked by Reiner and Bertholdt while Sasha and Connie looked almost inseparable.

After classes got out, Mikasa stopped by her dorm room to switch her book bag for her gym bag, walking against the masses of student headed for the rinks to get to the gym. She passed Annie on her way, the blonde throwing her a confused look to which Mikasa only shrugged and shook her head.

Mikasa spent her first few minutes in the gym writing up a training regiment. She had four weeks to get into acceptable shape for Levi, so she decided to alternate between core, upper body, and lower body workouts during her time alone.

Sighing, Mikasa dropped the notebook next to her bag and headed back to the pull-up bar, immediately beginning her second workout of the day.

 ---

Mikasa stepped out of the shower after returning from her third session in the gym, toweling at her hair and grimacing at the uncomfortable pull of her muscles. She made a mental note to pay more attention to her diet now that she was exercising a lot more.

Hanging her towel up on the hook on her bedside lamp, she shoved her dirty clothes into her hamper and fell onto her bed, crossing her arms over her eyes.

“Okay, what gives?” Confused, the dark haired girl dropped her arms and watched as Annie crossed the threshold into their room, dropping her own gym bag by Mikasa’s. “Why weren’t you at any sessions today?”

Mikasa groaned, staring back up at the ceiling. “My mentor won’t train me until I spend a month in the gym,” she admitted, brushing her hair back from her face. Annie frowned, rummaging through her things for her towel and toiletries.

“Who’s your mentor?”

“Levi.”

Annie made a noise between a laugh and a snort. “Yeah, that makes sense.”

Mikasa frowned this time. “What do you mean?”

“Levi’s the strictest skating coach I’ve ever heard of. He doesn’t even take on a student each year; sometimes he starts with one and then drops them. He’s the only teacher at this school allowed to do that. If he’s making you train alone in a gym before he’ll train you on the ice,” Annie shrugged, pausing en route to the bathroom to look back over her shoulder at Mikasa. “Then he’s probably really serious about training you.”

Mikasa’s frown only deepened. This was the most Annie had spoken to her since they’d gotten to the school, but her words didn’t make much sense to Mikasa. Annie sighed. “All I’m saying is, he’s trained the best of the best, and thrown away those who don’t give all they can. You better be serious when you go back to him.” She turned away, and a second later, Mikasa heard the curtain slink shut and the water begin to run in the shower.

Despite skating exclusively for years, Mikasa’s muscles stilled burned from over six hours of strengthening them during the day, and her mind was already exhausted. She didn’t have any homework, but thinking about her future always made her head hurt. Annie and Armin were right. She needed to have her answer by the time she returned to the rink. But that could wait.

Mikasa settled beneath her covers, quickly checking her phone for any messages from her parents or Eren, and when she saw none she threw her arm over her eyes once again. Sasha wandered into the room a little later, but Mikasa was already drifting to sleep.

\---

True to her word, Mikasa spent every skating session in the gym, following her workout routine closely, and soon enough the burn of her muscles settled into a familiar ache that didn’t leave her groaning in discomfort at the end of the day.

Eren tried to convince her during meals and classes to go back to the rink, that what Levi told her to do didn’t make any sense, but she and Armin constantly told him it wasn’t going to happen. Eventually, he stopped trying to change her mind, and settled instead for giving her a piggyback ride to her room on the nights she was too exhausted.

Jean occasionally sent her worried glances from across the cafeteria or classroom, but didn’t try to approach her again after the first day. Mikasa often found herself wondering what he’d been doing with Levi, but she figured his progress would show when she returned to the ice.

The night before Mikasa’s month of training in the gym was up, she sat propped up against her bed, Eren sitting behind her with a book open in his lap, calling out terms to Armin to define. The blonde was sitting in Mikasa’s desk chair, spinning idly and defining the terms with ease when one of Eren’s hands pressed into Mikasa’s shoulder, prompting her to lean back to look at him. He tossed the book behind him, frowning.

“Tomorrow you go back to the rink.” Mikasa nodded. “Are you nervous? About going back after not skating for so long?”

She shook her head. “No. It’s like the eighth grade when I twisted my ankle and couldn’t skate for a few weeks, except this time I was training and not propped up on the couch.”

“True.” Eren said, shaking his head with a smile.

“Are you excited to train for the Invitational?” Armin asked, digging his heels into the floor to stop the spinning of the chair.

Mikasa paused for a second, debating how to answer the question. The Invitational was just a meet against Rose Academy, but there would probably be scouts there, and it could help her get a feel for the competition she might be facing eventually. “Yes.” She answered slowly, resting her head on Eren’s knee.

“I wonder how they’re gonna pick the kids to go to compete at Nationals.” Eren murmured after a minute. Hundreds of kids at the school, and yet only four pairs of and an additional two solo skaters could compete at Nationals for a shot to go to Championships.

Armin stood from her desk, siting on the edge of her bed next to Eren. “They usually do a sort of in house competition if they’re stuck on whom to pick,” Armin explained, reaching for his discarded book. “For the past few years, however, they’ve been pretty sure from the start.”

“I don’t care how they do it,” Eren declared, laughing as he flopped back onto her bed. “As long as I’m there to kick ass.”

Mikasa rolled her eyes. Eren’s dream had always been to get to Championships and eventually the Olympics; he just never seemed to realize that there was stiff competition every step of the way. “You’re going to have to beat out a lot of people for that spot, Eren. People who have been skating for a lot longer than you.”

He waved her off, grin still as wide as ever. “You haven’t been in the rink for a month, Mikasa. These people are amazing, but I can take ‘em all, easy.”

“That’s only because you have Annie with you,” Armin laughed, knocking his book against Eren’s side.

Mikasa frowned. “Is she good? Is she-”

“She hasn’t done anything to me, Mikasa,” Eren groaned; she could hear him rolling his eyes. “She’s been training for years, and’s already nationally ranked, like us. If we don’t go as partners, which won’t happen, she’ll definitely go solo.”

“What about you, Armin?” Mikasa asked, not exactly interested in who was skating with her brother, even if it was her roommate.

“Mina’s amazing, but I don’t know if we could beat out everyone else at the school.”

Mikasa smiled sadly, turning around on the floor to better face him. In her years of skating, she’d encountered every kind of person; those like Eren with unyielding confidence in themselves and their partners, people like herself who didn’t care much, and then those like Armin who didn’t think themselves truly good enough to get very far with the trade. Normally, she just ignored those kids, but Eren had always been someone someone who wanted to help those who were nervous, no matter if it was in the middle of a competition or at practice.

Now was no different. Eren sat back up on the bed, mimicking Mikasa’s posture. “Don’t say that, Armin. Like I tell Mikasa,” she shot him a dirty look, “you just gotta train really hard, and fight for that spot. If you don’t, you’ll never succeed.”

“Yeah,” Armin agreed, shaking his head in amusement. “Yeah you’re right.”

The door to her room pushed open, revealing a tired looking Annie. She surveyed the room quickly, her bright blue eyes drifting from Eren and Armin on the bed, to Mikasa scowling on the floor at her brother. Annie dropped her gym bag on the floor, crossing her arms with a scowl.

“Hey, Annie!” Eren greeted happily, perking up from the bed. “I was thinking, about the new move Petra was showing us-”

Annie held up a hand to cut him off, shaking her head slowly. “Not tonight, Eren. At least let me sleep before you babble about moves and dedication.” Eren made a face, but didn’t argue with the girl as she disappeared into the tiny bathroom. After a moment of silence, she poked her head back out, frowning. “That’s code for get out.”

“Right,” Eren grumbled, but he was laughing. Mikasa felt something stir in her chest.

“See you guys in the morning.” Armin called, as he shut the door behind the two of them. Mikasa heard Annie sigh over the running water of the sink. As the blonde walked back to her bed, Sasha came skipping back into the room, looking tired as she slumped onto her bed.

“I can’t believe Nanaba kept me and Connie for an hour after the end of the session,” Sasha complained, tossing her shoes to the side of the bed. “Ugh, there were so many things I could have done with that time.”

“Like stealing potatoes?” Annie asked in a deadpan.

Sasha looked offended. “That was one time!” She quickly shrugged out of her sweater, sniffing it once before chucking it at her hamper. “Mikasa! You get to skate again tomorrow!”

Despite her exhaustion, Mikasa found herself smiling along with the brunette. “Yeah, I’m pretty excited to get back out there.”

“As long as Levi doesn’t give you something else to do.” Annie shrugged at the look Mikasa gave her. “He might ditch you if you aren’t where he expects you to be.”

“I’ll be fine.” Mikasa said, her tone leaving no room for argument. “By the way, where were you after training? You always shower right after the last session.”  
Annie stared over at her from where she lay on her bed, her gaze indecipherable. “I was with Reiner and Bertl.”

“Oh.”

“Hey Mikasa?” Sasha called, busy rummaging through her bag. “Can I borrow a pair of shorts for tomorrow’s sessions? I haven’t done laundry yet.” Mikasa sighed, but tossed a clean pair of her shorts over to the girl. “Thanks!”

Annie ignored Sasha’s squeak as she turned out the lights, not even bothering to respond to Sasha’s complaints. The room quieted down eventually.

Tomorrow Mikasa would go back to Levi and begin training for the Invitational with Jean. She could only wonder what awaited her.

 ---

The sun had only just risen over the horizon when Mikasa arrived at the rink for the third time in her first month of school. She chose to skip the free skate that morning, she didn’t want to risk seeing Levi and getting a lecture from him, so instead she walked in with Annie at her side and Eren and Armin chatting with Reiner and Bertholdt behind them.

Several people had already filed into the building and were dropping their bags where they could, beginning to warm up for the first session of the day. Mikasa couldn’t see Levi or Jean, but that didn’t mean they weren’t in the building. She walked further in with Eren and Armin, and the three of them dropped their bags on the bleachers before securing their skates.

The students were welcome to use the ice freely until their coaches got there, and Mikasa took advantage of that to walk straight to the ice, taking off despite Eren’s shout from behind her. She immediately threw herself into a triple spin, landing it with ease and a grin. A month away from the ice had felt like an eternity, but now that she was back, it was as if no time had passed.

After landing another jump, Mikasa felt someone grab onto her arm to lead her into a familiar move. Eren grinned back at her before tossing her into the air and catching her effortlessly.

“Ackerman, don’t throw moves without training them.”

Mikasa groaned quietly, shaking her head at Eren’s questioning gaze as he awkwardly let her down. Levi skated up next to the pair, eyeing Eren with disinterest.

“Oh,” Eren said after a moment. “I get it now. See you at breakfast, Mikasa.” He lightly knocked his elbow against hers before skating off to where Annie and Petra were waiting across the ice.

Mikasa turned back to Levi. “I’ve trained those moves enough. I’ve been doing them since I was a child. Throwing them now won’t hurt me.”

“You say that now, until you break your fucking ankle and can’t even do a simple spin.” Levi replied, appraising her coldly.

“Well?” Mikasa asked after he didn’t continue, feeling anger form in her chest. “Do I pass your inspection?” She honestly didn’t want to spend another month alone in the gym.

Levi frowned, but nodded. “You look like you put on some muscle, so you should be fine. Where the fuck’s Kirschtein?”

Mikasa followed his gaze, turning back to the front of the rink to try and find her partner. She saw Jean walking in with Marco, dumping his stuff quickly and laughing at whatever his friend was saying until they reached the ice and went their separate ways.

Jean looked nervous as he skated towards Mikasa and their coach. She wondered what exactly Levi had him do while she was away.

“You’re late.” Levi grumbled once Jean came to a stop next to her.

He checked his watch, glancing back up at Levi. “There’s still five minutes before this session officially…” He trailed off at the look Levi sent his way.

“Now that Mikasa is good enough to join us, we can start practicing for the Invitational.” Levi said, glancing quickly around the rink. “Go take a few laps and warm up,” he instructed, waving them off with a flick of his wrist.

Mikasa rolled her eyes, but took off across the ice, holding her leg or arm behind her body to stretch the muscles. Even after only a couple of laps, Mikasa could tell that something in the actions felt different. Maybe it was her newfound strength, or maybe she was more excited to get back on the ice than she thought.

“Hey,” Jean said as he caught up with her. “How was your month in the gym?”

She shrugged, stretching out her legs. “It was alright, lonely though. How was spending an entire month alone with Levi?”

“Terrifying.” He admitted, running a hand through his hair. “He had me practice a few lifts with Petra, and I’m pretty sure he would have skinned me alive if I fucked up.”

“I’m pretty sure he wants to skin us all alive anyway,” Mikasa muttered, nodding back at Levi where he stood against the fence, glaring at the ice under his feet. “Why’s he do this if he only takes one student to mentor, anyway?”

Jean shrugged, tugging his arm behind his body with the other. “I heard it was a favor for Erwin, but I doubt a favor would have continued for five years.” He paused. “Maybe he misses it.”

“Or he likes torturing his pupils.”

“Mikasa, Jean that’s enough.” Levi’s voice rang through the rink, even making a few other students turn to face him.

Mikasa sighed, taking the hand Jean held for her and getting back to her feet. Levi still looked angry, she wondered if he always would, as the duo made their way back across the ice to begin their first session as partners.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first multi-chaptered fic in a few years, so I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think and thank you for reading!


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